AN: SORRY! A new job, life, lack of inspiration, and losing my beta because of time issues all combined to make this chapters take longer than I meant for it too. Also, if any of my readers out there would like to be my beta please send me a PM!

Chapter 11

The work it is hard and the hours are long
But my spirit is willing, my back it is strong
And when the works over the whisky will pour
We'll dance with the girls upon some foreign shore

He was doing it again.

Emma sighed loudly as she put down her pen while rubbing the bridge of her nose, no longer caring if he knew she was annoyed, and glared at the man lying in the cell across the room.

Where it's wave over wave, sea over-bow

I'm as happy a man as the sea will allow

This morning had been "fun" in the most sarcastic way she could possibly use that word. First she had to get Henry ready and off to school without Killian knowing they'd been camped out on cots in the lounge down the hall. Just to make sure he was safe, and so her parents could have a night to themselves. She'd even set up a baby monitor in the bullpen just to make sure she'd hear if he got out, or Gold magic-ked himself in. Henry of course had thought the whole thing was great, another adventure with mom (she was never going to get used to being called that), and had even labeled it "Operation Stingray". Why she couldn't even hazard a guess, but hey, at least he was having fun.

There's no other life for a sailor like me

But to sail the salt sea, boys, sail the sea

Second she'd shown him how to use the shower, which had gone surprisingly well, outside of the fact that he started to strip in front of her because the man had no shame what-so-ever. She'd of course looked away…mostly. Which she couldn't be blamed for in the least; the man was a sailor and thus built like a Greek god. Though in this instance at least she'd been happy to find out that he actually believed her when she mentioned David "helping" him should he act up. The fact that she knew David would probably rather die than do such a thing had no bearing on the situation. He believed and that's all she cared about.

Finally, once he was dressed in an old tee-shirt and jeans from David, that fit him only slightly awkwardly, he'd started annoying her with questions about the world and everything in her office: "Emma, love, what's this do?" "Emma why are they black?" "How do these light's work?" "Does everyone have one of those strange carriages?" Emma this, Emma that. Finally after a good half an hour she'd snapped, he was like a five year old asking why the sky was blue and the fucking grass was green. She'd told him to shut up, he'd acquiesced, and she gone back to her work hoping that was the end of it.

Now it was the sea shanties.

"Hook," Emma snapped as he trailed off, finishing his latest song. His voice was like silk in the form of sound, and at any other time she would have just sat at her desk with her head resting on the back of her chair; simply listening to him. But right now she had a pile of papers the size of Mount Everest on her desk, and it all needed to be done last week. He and his stupid sexy singing voice were a distraction she couldn't afford. "Why can't you to just sit quietly and let me work?"

He sat up and flashed her a brilliant smile as he leaned on his bent knee's; eyes bright blue and laughing at her, with a face full of false innocence. "Oh? Am I distracting you, dearest Emma?"

Emma frowned as she fought to keep the smile from her lips. He knew damn well what he was doing and it frustrated her as much as it charmed her. It was hard to be annoyed at that boyish smile, not matter how justified she was, "I'm trying to fill out paper work which is tough enough. You making noise isn't helping."

"Noise?" he said rising an eyebrow looking almost offended, which he should be because his voice was amazing. "You would be the first to call my singing noise. But tell me, Emma love. What would you have me do? You will not let me leave because of this cunning plan of yours, and -"

"It's not just the plan," She said cutting him off as she gave up and stood, walking over to the cell. If they were going to have a conversation she wasn't going to have it yelling at each other across a room. "It's the bracers too; we don't know what the rules are. They were supposed to make sure I couldn't leave your side; that might still be true."

"Excellent point love," he said gracefully popping up from the bed, the only sign he'd had a head injury at all was the bandage over it. Then he leaned on the bars, putting his face closer to hers, and she was immediately caught by his eyes for a moment. It unnerved her how quickly and affectively he did that, seemingly without really trying. "But I'm still not seeing why any of that requires me to remain in this cell."

Emma took a deep breath to fight down the reaction she had to the way he looked leaning like that, and how he wore those modern cloths. Ultimately she preferred the leather, but then again he was the kind of person would look good in just about anything. "It's to keep up appearances… plus, you're annoying enough in the cell."

"Really," he said catching on to the higher pitch of her voice, though she tried to hide it, and drawled out the word seductively as his face turned serious. "Are you sure those are the only reason's you're keeping me captive, my love?"

He was being ridiculous, and they both knew it. But that didn't stop the small voice in the back of her head from wondering if he was right on some level. "It also keeps you out of trouble."

He hummed in agreement as he searched her eyes and then smiled again, "All valid reasons, and so many too."

"Ok, what the hell do you mean by that?" she asked shifting forward, as she tried to make her voice sound annoyed, because she knew very well what he was implying.

"I simply agreeing with you my dear, why, should my words be implying something else?"He tilted his head and leaned forward as far as the bars would allow this time; bring his face so close they were almost touching; she honestly couldn't remember moving so close to him. It was like and unconscious pull, and the small part of her still thinking rationally was unnerved by it. "If you're hearing more in my words, perhaps, that is something you should look to yourself about."

Just like that the moment was ended, because if there was one thing Emma hated it was mind games. Genuinely annoyed now, Emma stepped back and was about to put him in his place when the door to the bullpen opened and Blue finally walked in, two hours late. "Good Morning, Sheriff Swan."

Emma shot a glare at Hook, who just smiled cheekily back at her, before heading over to greet the other woman. "Hey Blue, thanks for coming. Could you take a look at these, Cora did something to them before we got away."

"Of course dear, your mother told me all about it," Blue replied as she gently grabbed Emma's wrist analyzing it for a moment before placing a glowing hand over the leather and closing her eyes. Almost instantly Emma felt a cold shiver run down her spine, as a feeling of wrongness settled over her, and she wanted to rip her arm away. If the hissing from the cell was any indication, Hook felt it too. "Very interesting; I haven't seen one of these in centuries. Then again, you are quiet old, aren't you Captain?"

"Surprisingly enough I didn't actually acquire these back then." He said with a sneer, and she wondered if the feeling was making him as edge as it was making her. "I bought them off a dimensional trader a few years before I even returned to the Enchanted Forest."

"Jefferson sold you these?" Blue asked sounding very interested as she pulled her magic away, and Emma felt a calmness settle over her; a sigh from the cell told her Hook did too. "I'll have to ask him where he got them."

"Sorry, why is all this relevant to my being chained to the idiot?" Emma said inserting herself in the conversations, and ignoring his offended exclamation. She wanted this dealt with quickly if it was going to be an uncomfortable experience.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear, it's just…I thought we'd destroyed all of these. If Hook had come across them back then and taken them to Neverland with him that would be one thing. But the fact that he bought them relatively recently is troubling to say the least. You see, they were made by the previous Dark One during the First Ogres War and posses a very power dark magic. They can be exceedingly dangerous in the wrong hands" Emma looked flatly back at Hook who had the good grace too look apologetic. He also seemed clearly surprised by that little tid-bit.

"I only knew what they were, and the basics of how they worked," he supplied sheepishly, rubbing his arm as if it bothered him. Did it? "I didn't know what or how they were made."

Emma snorted and rolled her eyes, of course he wouldn't question something like that. For someone so intelligent he could sometimes be really stupid, "Yea because a slave collar could have only been made of light and happiness magic. So what did Cora do to it?"

"While you are correct that she did change them, linking you both together, that's not all that's happened. It seems to have been almost a "perfect storm", if you will, of forces acting upon the bracers. A spell of this magnitude takes time to fully set, which this hadn't when you traveled through the portal. That magic combined with your own latent gifts, and how different magic is here in general, also changed it. It transferred the energy form the bracer itself into the actual skin of your arm; the bracer is nothing more than an anchor for the spell now," she said thoughtfully as she again applied her magic.

In reaction that feeling of wrongness returned, and what Emma now realized was anger bubbling up in her as she gave Hook a glare that should have cooked him where he stood. The comment about her magic she put aside for later consideration. She would have to talk to Blue about that when they were alone. Now, however, she was too busy plotting all of the things she would do to him if Hook's idiocy had linked them together forever. Not that there was much because she was reasonably sure she couldn't kill him, but she could be creative when she wanted to be. Why am I so angry? A distant part of herself wondered as he returned her glare with equal ferocity while he gripped the bars so hard his knuckles were white. Why was he angry? "Now, even with the bracers gone you should feel a connection to each other. Though it won't kill you should the other die, and distance will not matter."

"So…are you saying we really are going to be connected forever?" She asked trying her best to keep her voice even, to hide her emotions, and doing a horrible job of it considering she was still glaring at him.

"If I didn't understand where you were coming from love, I might find that offensive." He snapped his voice heated as genuine hurt crossed his features; before being replaced by stone. It was then Blue let her magic go again, her searching done, and the anger visibly faded from both of them. Now she felt bad about the things she'd said, she didn't want to see him look hurt. Emma frowned as she turned back to Blue. Where had that come from? She was pissed…wasn't she? That usually meant the object of her anger should run for cover. So why did she care if his feelings were hurt?

"Not exactly," Blue seemed to hesitate, then went on, her hand glowing again, and Emma felt that shiver race down her spin a third time as the bracer glowed. Almost instantly she went for consolatory to wanting to lash out at someone, or something. It was like someone was playing ping pong with her emotions and she looked at Blue as realization donned. It was the bracers, whatever was happening was messing with her head "With a connection like this, one forged on a physical and emotional level it's hard to say. But it should fade away without the anchor in about two weeks or so…unless of course you don't want it to."

Emma was confused by the "emotional level" comment, though clearly there was something there, but she didn't want to read into it. Nothing good could come from that line of thinking. Not when she was feeling so out of control. It just meant that they were in a life or death situation when this whole things started, so of course emotion was involved. "Ok…so then once this is done, we just have to…wait?"

"Unless you want to stay connected to me darling. Would it really be so bad?" Hook asked his voice sounding strange to her, almost hypnotic, and a warm, comfortable, feeling overtook the feeling of wrongness. Her breath caught in her throat at it, but she refused to turn around. Did she want that? Or was it just the bracers and the spell making her think she did? Blue raised an eyebrow and glanced up at her as a multicolored shimmer of light slide over the leather. Emma didn't like, and was confused by, that look.

Blue looked at her like a child who was being ridiculous.

"Of course because who wouldn't want to be magically shackled to an emotionally compromised revenge driven pirate with no sense of self preservation." She snapped back at him after a pause that lasted a little bit too long, trying to cover her moment of weakness with biting words. She was angry about this, she made her own choices, and she wasn't going to let magic trick her into thinking otherwise. She didn't want this …did she?

Late as they were, the words still found their mark and he looked away. She could see it on his face as she turned to look at him again, the realization of what this whole thing meant for any revenge plans he must have come up with last night. Because while she would no longer die when he did, she would certainly feel it. Which made any plans he may have had completely unusable if they remained linked, he would never cause her that kind of suffering. That she knew he would never intentionally hurt her in anyway, was a fact she knew with the same certainty as the sun rising in the east. It disconcerted her that she had such bone deep faith in him.

Another burst of multicolored light made Blue look at her with exasperation this time.

"Is there anything else you can do?" Hook asked quietly, still looking away, all seriousness now. The idea of a lasting connection between them, while initially thrilling because it could be the extra push he needed were she was concerned, was also a damning fact should his revenge go poorly. He had to make up his mind, and soon, where she was concerned; did he want to pursue her or seek his revenge. Because it was clear to him now that he could never have both.

"I'm sorry; time is the only thing that will get rid of it. Either it will fade, or it won't because you don't let it." She said looking back and forth between them, her lips pursed in frustration; she knew something but wasn't saying. It put Emma on edge, what wasn't Blue telling her? Did she really want to know? Or was she just denying what he heart already knew. "But as I said, two weeks at most for it to fade."

"Two weeks isn't so long I guess," Emma said and the she looked back at him, but he didn't look at her. Being ignored by him made her uncomfortable and angry, even more so than even the bracer being deactivated, and, crazily enough, she wanted to reach out to him. This time when her bracer pulsed, his did too, causing Blue to actually sigh in frustration. When all Killian did was eye his with confusion, still ignoring her, she got annoyed and the bracers went cold. Maybe it was too long when all he really cared about was killing Gold. All she was, was the fun past time that had suddenly become a burden. Of course that's what it was, wasn't that ultimately always what it was, and she wouldn't admit that it hurt her, cut her deeply, even a little. So she snapped and sneered something she knew would cut him as deeply as his silence cut her. "Do you think your death wish can wait that long?"

"I think I can show some temperance, Swan. I'm not a mindless beast, I have a heart!" He growled back all sarcasm and spite. His eyes shooting up to look at her with real anger and disbelief, like he couldn't believe she'd even said that too him. The mere suggestion that she thought he was capable of willfully harming her, that he was that selfish after everything, wounded him. Without another word he turned away completely to lie on his bed and stare at the ceiling; interacting with her either too painful for him or not worth his time.

As if in reaction to their fight, and their distance, the bracer on her wrist came away quickly with a strange click that surprised Blue as much as Emma. Inside the cell Killian's fell off as well, and he frowned at it as he picked it off the bedspread. A cold feeling of despair and loneliness swamped her, almost drowning her, and she rubbed her wrist trying to center herself. Breathing deeply she watched Blue move to collect Killian's; saying she was going to destroy both. Watching him, the stiff set of his shoulders and his closed off expression, she realized she'd really hurt him and her stomach twisted with guilt as all her feeling intensified. Quickly, doing anything and everything to stave off the urge to cry, she thanked Blue and walked her to the exit where Emma paused. She took deep calming breaths, choking up briefly before she was able to master herself enough to face him again. She'd decided it was best to apologize to him, because he hadn't deserved that, and she hadn't really meant it, not really.

"Listen, Hook - "

"What will it take Emma?" He said looking at her from where he sat looking deject on the bed. "What do I have to do to prove to you that I have no ill intentions toward you? Quite the opposite in fact."

Her mouth turned down and she looked into his eyes before finally pulling out the keys and unlocking his cell again. She needed to let him know in some, serious, way that she did actually trust him. Without, of course, fully explaining why she had to keep him in the cell. She had no delusions, she knew that information would cause an argument, and she didn't want to deal with it. That or the escape attempt she knew he'd make once he understood what she was really planning. "I already know that Hook. I'm…I'm sorry. The magic was doing something, it was like I couldn't control my anger… and I…Look until three weeks ago I didn't even believe this magic shit existed and you were just a character in a story I read as a kid…I'm still…adjusting.

"Your situation is not helped, I think, by the fact that you are incapable of any sort of belief in another," he said deliberately, but not unkindly, as he stood and walked to her. Gently he cupped her face so she couldn't look away, and watched her eyes as he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. At his touch every bad feeling she'd had was gone and something snapped back into place. It was weaker, frayed, but still there; and she wanted nothing more than anything to lean into him. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it, not yet. "This would is certainly a cruel one if all faith has been so thoroughly beaten out of you, and trust is never an option."

Emma said nothing, there was nothing to say, he was right. She was a creature of experience and in hers believing, really and truly trusting, in anyone or anything had only ever backfired on her. After all these years of self hatred, and feelings of worthlessness, like she was easy to use and leave behind; because that's just what happened to people like her. It was hard to come to grips with the idea that it was the world, not her, that was broken.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked walking away, his hand slipping slowly off her cheek, before she did something stupid. She desperately hoped that Gold turned up soon, because she wasn't sure how much longer she could stay in close quarters with him before she grabbed him and never let go.

Killian sighed, but thankfully didn't push the issue; he seemed to sense that she wasn't in the mood for anything even resembling relationship building. "Indeed, I don't suppose I could ask you to…enhance it any, could I?"

Emma leaned out of the kitchen's doorway, tea kettle in hand, to give him a flat look, "You're staying in a prison cell, and you're actually asking for booze?"

He flopped back on the couch and sprawled himself out, resting his arms across the couches top. The fact that he looked like a supermodel posing for a photo shoot was just not fair. "I'm your "guest" not your prisoner. Why shouldn't I ask for a more adult beverage than simply tea?"

Emma rolled her eyes, and moved away but he still caught the hint of a smile on her face. Quickly she poured him a cup and then hesitated before huffing to herself. She wondered if this was some kind of test, and if it was, she didn't want to fail it. So, grabbing the hidden bottle of brandy from the cabinet, she poured some in the cup. Graham had left it there for special occasions and the only time she'd ever even cracked it open had been on her first night as Sherriff. Now she was pouring it into a simple cup of tea for an annoying pirate.

Walking back into the room she handed him the cup and then sat on one of the desk chairs. He bowed his head in thanks as he watched her like she was a puzzle. Still staring he took a sip of his tea and then pulled it away to stare at the cup. Clearly, he'd not been expecting it to actually have anything but tea in it; point for her. "Something wrong?"

Killian's eyes moved from the cup to her again to see her slowly drinking her own tea; even so, he could see the smile she tried to hide behind the rim. He just shook his head and took another sip not remarking on the presence of the alcohol at all, "This is excellent tea, thank you."

"Thanks, I like it, it's called Pride of the Port," she said dismissively before she realized what he could make of that name.

"Is it?" He said before she could clarify, an eyebrow raised and a flirtatious smile on his face. "Tell me Emma love, did you make this just for me?"

Emma coughed and rubbed the back of her neck reflexively before she could stop herself, the move giving away more of her thought process than she would have liked. "It's good, but it's also the cheapest tea I own that's all"

Killian just continued to grin and leaned further back into the couch, "So that's a yes then."

Emma ignored him and a comfortable silence fell over them for several minutes as they drank, broken only when the door to the bullpen opened again. This time admitting David, his hands full of white paper bags, and he paused just inside when he saw the two of them sitting so comfortably in each other's presence; with Hook out of his cell no less.

"Hey," he said coming over and placing the bags on the desk, his eyes not leaving Killian who she noticed was eyeing the other man in return. "I got your text, a burger and a roast beef sandwich."

"Finally, I'm starving; here Hook, the burgers for you." Emma said, pretending there wasn't an awkward tension in the air, as she placed the open Styrofoam container in front of him, and he thanked her with a warm smile that made David shift behind her. Then when she walked to her desk with her own meal she heard David follow her, and sighed.

"So why isn't he in a cell?" David asked, frowning as he placed the book she'd asked him to bring on her desk, and she settled herself.

Emma's mouth thinned as she watched her father eye Hook, while he happily ate his burger, like he was less than dirt. She could honestly say she didn't approve of his judgmental attitude toward a man he hadn't traded two words with. "Because this is more of a protective custody situation, not a criminal needing to be confided one."

"Snow told me what he did, with the bracers and Aurora's heart," he said turning back to face her, his expression serious. "He's a liar, a thief, and a murderer. He's not a good person Emma."

She leaned back in her chair as she tried to think about how best to phrase her response on what was clearly a touchy subject to Prince "Charming". Yes, Hook was all those things, but he was also more than that. "Look David, I'm not saying he's a saint, but he's not as bad as you're making him out to be."

"He's not?" David snorted his disbelief plain, "How so?"

Emma thought for a second and then decided that being honest would be best. "After Cora massacred the village Hook came to our side, betraying Cora in the process. He took a big risk and I screwed him on top of the beanstalk. And before you say anything, no, I didn't have a good reason to do what I did. It was because of me and my issues; he did nothing but help me."

"Alright," David said sitting in a chair across from her, interested and clearly pleased that she was opening up to him. "But I'm still not seeing how that justifies what he did."

"Because if I hadn't done what I did, Hook wouldn't have wasted time tracking us down and Cora might not have noticed he'd turned." She folded her hands in front of her and leaned on the desk looking away. This hadn't exactly been best tactical planning on either of their parts. "We needed her magic to open the portal and when she found out he'd betrayed her…he needed something big to get back in her good books so that she'd do it with him there."

"Aurora's heart…" he said slowly as understanding crossed his face and she nodded. "That's insane!"

"I agree, but the truth is he never intended it to be permanent and he did help her get her heart back. David, he saved my life, and he got me home." She paused and took a deep breath. For some reason this was hard to say out loud, especially to someone else. Maybe it was the fact that if she was proven wrong now, more than just she would be hurt by her bad decision. "I trust him David."

"And this thing with Gold?" he asked eyeing the man who seemed to be ignoring them, but Emma could tell by the set of his shoulder and the why he tilted his head that he was very much listening in. "How can we let him go free with that going on?"

Emma huffed, "I doubt there's anything we can do to stop that. I mean, would anything stop you if someone killed Snow?"

David's eyes widened and he leaned back in his chair, "Is that what happened? Gold killed his wife?"

Emma glanced up to find Hook not even pretending to eat anymore. Instead he was staring blankly at his plate, his sole hand clenched in his lap. She didn't want to say anymore, it was Hook's private history, not that she really knew all that much to begin with. "That's the gist of it."

"He ripped out her heart," they both looked over and her heart squeezed at the anguish in his eyes. She'd seen how brutal ripping out someone's heart could be at the ruined village, no wonder he'd turned on Cora and made sure Aurora got hers back. The way he rubbed the tattoo on his arm with his stump made her look away, it was too personal. "He ripped out her heart and crushed it in front of me, and then he took my hand."

Emma felt queasy and she could tell from his face that David felt the same. They knew Gold could be vicious, and vindictive; but even so that fate was extreme. She too wondered if her father could understand Hook on some level; having thought he lost Snow more than once in their story. As if reading her mind he spoke his next question with gentle understanding, "Why?"

"It doesn't matter," Hook said flatly and there was an air of guarded defiance about him. "Nothing she did, we did, was deserving of that fate that was bestowed upon us; and I'm going to make him bleed for it."

David sighed as he placed his hands on his hips, his expression was understanding, but also commanding, "As much as he may deserve it for what he's done and believe me, I know how it feels. I, we, can't allow you to just run around killing people Hook. As it is Gold's immortal again. What can you do to him?"

Her father meant it as kindly as possible, but Hook didn't take it that way. He stood abruptly and glared at her father. Worried, Emma shifted in her seat, prepared to jump between the two men if necessary. "I'm not going to kill people. I'm going to kill him. I promised not to harm anyone else in my quest, and I keep my promises. You will not, however, stop me from exacting my vengeance."

The room was tense as both mean stared each other down, and Emma groaned quietly in frustration at the amount of testosterone in the room. It was like two alpha dogs circling and snarling at each other. She wouldn't be surprised if next they pulled out gloves and started challenging each other to an old fashioned duel.

"Alright enough," She said but it sounded more like a growl as she stood quickly. Once on her feet she grabbed David and dragged him over to the exit. She was not emotionally prepared to deal with a fight between her father and her…and Hook. "You have a patrol to do, and you, finish eating and then back into the cell."

"But you said – "

"But I don't – "

"Hey! Did I ask for your opinions? No? Then do what I say." she snapped back as she put her hands on her hips, unknowingly doing a wonderfully terrifying combination of her mother and father when angry. "I won't have a fist fight in my office because you two want to find out who has the bigger balls."

Both men looked shocked by that, and chastened, David quickly left in the face of his daughters glare; so much like her mother's though she'd never grown up seeing it. He knew she could more than handle herself where Hook was concerned and he didn't want to get on her bad side already, not when they'd been progressing so well. "Very commanding love, I like that."

Emma spun on her heels and pointed her finger at him, "Shut it! Eat, then cell, and if you don't stop I'll forget to bring you dinner."

"You can't really be upset with me! He was –"

"I said don't!" she actually yelled this time and he snapped his mouth shut, realizing that he'd pushed to far past the boundaries of her patients for the moment.

He quickly finished his meal while he watched her go back to her desk, and he flinched every time she put down something too hard, or a slap echoed through room when she put a file on the done pile. Finished with his meal, she was right it had tasted better than last nights, he stood up without and word, and walked over to the cell. As an afterthought he shutting the door behind him in a show of obedience he hoped would shake her out of her foul mood some. She looked up when she heard the clang and her mouth twisted into an unhappy smile as she stood up, grabbed the book David had brought her before walked over to him. "Read this, and keep quiet."

"What is…Peter Pan?! The bloody hell is this?!" he asked his voice a mixture of horror and interest as he looked back up at her, noticing that she'd locked the door again. This gift clearly didn't mean her temper had cooled any.

"What, I thought you'd be interested in your story here." She said tossing the words over her shoulder as she walked back to her office. Though Hook was more focused on her backside and the way it looked in her jeans than the words she was saying. "Be happy I'm not making you watch the movie version. I think you'd die of shame."

Killian raised an eyebrow, looking away before she caught him, and cracked open the book. The main question on his mind; what was a movie, and exactly how badly was he portrayed in it that she felt it was a suitable threat to keep him quiet?

Thank you for reading!Please R&R!